Google's Schmidt: We Can Make Money From Chrome OS

Sure Google's Chrome will be free and open-source, but that doesn't mean that Google doesn't see some money making potential in the forthcoming operation system. During the company's earnings call, CEO Eric Schmidt addressed questions about the potential money making opportunities with Chrome.

Sure Google's Chrome will be free and open-source, but that doesn't mean that Google doesn't see some money making potential in the forthcoming operation system. During the company's earnings call, CEO Eric Schmidt addressed questions about the potential money making opportunities with Chrome.

"We do not plan to charge for it, in an open-source form," explained Schmidt. "There may be other ways we can make money from it." Schmidt didn't offer much in the way of specifics, implying that the company was still trying to assess the best method. Serving up ads in the OS definitely seems like an option, particularly for Google, which has made much of its fortune from online advertising.

Schmidt added that the profits may also be extended to developers. "If our platform strategy works, and there are many users of Chrome OS, there will be many opportunities to build profitable services on top of the platform. That's been true for all of the successful platform plays in the history of computing. If it's not successful, then it won't really matter."

About the Author

Brian Heater has worked at a number of tech pubs, including Engadget, Laptop, and PCMag (where he served as Senior Editor). Most recently, he was as the Managing Editor of TechTimes.com. His writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. ... See Full Bio

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